


The Diamond of Yesterday

by violasarecool



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Coda, Epilogue, Episode: s05e13 The Diamond of the Day, Gen, Mourning, Spoilers, obviously, the diamond of the day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-26
Updated: 2012-12-26
Packaged: 2017-11-22 13:23:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/610284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violasarecool/pseuds/violasarecool
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two young boys came skipping down the road, one with a short stick held in front of him like a sword, the other, a walking stick, a sort of staff.</p><p> Crude imitations of a complex memory. The man shook his head, wisps of white hair spilling about his shoulders, and forced his arm down. He smiled as the pair dashed for the cover of trees; “come, Merlin!” he heard the blonde boy cry as they disappeared. </p><p>No one had called him by that name for a millennium.</p><p>---</p><p>Epilogue to the final scene of Merlin, season 5, episode 13.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Diamond of Yesterday

“Merlin!”

An old man started out of his thoughts, staring down the road from where the voice had come. His arm raised involuntarily, a name on his lips. But it was two young boys who came skipping down the road, one with a short stick held in front of him like a sword, the other, a walking stick, a sort of staff.

Crude imitations of a complex memory. The man shook his head, wisps of white hair spilling about his shoulders, and forced his arm down. He smiled as the pair dashed for the cover of trees; “come, Merlin!” he heard the blonde boy cry as they disappeared.

No one had called him by that name for a millennium.

He'd become accustomed to the mentions of Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Gwaine, Percival, Leon, Elyan; the legendary knights of the round table led by the good King and Queen of Camelot. The tale had become flat even as it grew and changed: the good knights defeating the evil witch, Morgana, and her many minions; the evil druid, Mordred; the magical creatures mutated in the telling into either vicious monsters or pagan portents. But Merlin seemed to take more of a centre stage in the tales than he would ever have thought, appearing out of nowhere in the most unlikely places, always to save the day at the last moment. 

No one remembered the servant-boy who had loyally served Arthur all his life.

He crouched at the shore, feeling his back creak as he bent to scoop up a handful of the cool water. So many souls had sailed across the lake: Arthur, Lancelot, Freya, and later, Gaius. He had insisted on that last. Though he knew that Gaius would have been honoured with a pyre as great as that of the late Queen, he had felt that it was... better. One last good intention from a young boy.

He rose abruptly. He never took the form of Merlin anymore. The clumsy man-servant had died a long time ago, with the people he left behind, and the memories that refused to die; the whisper of hope that reminded Emrys that one day, the King would return.

Arthur.

**Author's Note:**

> please _don't give me crit_ , constructive or not, even if you feel the need to point out a typo, i would appreciate it if you didn't. i do this for fun, and once i've posted something, i don't really want to think about it critically anymore. thanks.


End file.
